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The Inseparables

One of the Year's Best Books - Kirkus Reviews

Crisis is looming for three generations of the Olyphant family.

In less than a year, Henrietta has lost her husband, nearly all of her money, and is about to lose her hard-won anonymity. After a lifetime spent trying to outrun the humiliation it caused her, Henrietta has reluctantly agreed to a reissue of The Inseparables, the salaciously filthy and critically despised bestseller she wrote decades earlier.

At the same time, her daughter Oona has moved back home to the house that Henrietta needs to sell. Oona is in the middle of a divorce from her husband Spencer, a corporate law refugee, stay-at-home dad, and unapologetic stoner. And Oona’s teenage daughter Lydia, away at boarding school, is facing an onslaught of scrutiny and shame when a nude photo of her goes viral.

The trouble only gets worse: Henrietta makes an upsetting discovery about her late husband; Oona embarks on a disastrous affair; and Lydia must deal with an ex-boyfriend who is determined to wreak more havoc. Over the course of a few tumultuous days, the Olyphant women must come to terms with their past and try to reimagine their futures.

Incisive, moving, and wickedly funny, The Inseparables examines what happens when our most carefully constructed ideas of ourselves unravel, and we begin to invent ourselves—and our family—anew.

PRAISE FOR THE INSEPARABLES

There is much to enjoy about this book. I laughed out loud... carefully ­rendered, unpretentious."-Ann Leary, The New York Times Book Review

"Simultaneously probing and hilarious..."- The Chicago Tribune

“[I]t’s a pleasure to see Stuart Nadler, in his second novel, take on the stories of a 70-year-old woman and her daughter and granddaughter — and do so seriously, empathetically and respectfully…. “The Inseparables” is elegantly written and often funny and sharply insightful….it’s delicious to read an entire story about the interrupted learning to interrupt." –Eleanor Brown, The Washington Post

People Magazine Book of the Week

"Three generations of brilliant but besieged women occupy the core of Stuart Nadler’s droll, warm and trenchantly observant comic novel, “The Inseparables.”... its generosity of spirit and its fascinating trio of women-in-crisis help make “The Inseparables” the smartest and most touching romantic comedy you won’t find at a multiplex movie theater this summer." -Gene Seymour, Newsday

“….writes with confidence and compassion about people trying to navigate their way through disruption.” –Booklist (starred)

“One of my favorite novels of the year….Gentle and funny and cutting. We see how the family came together and eventually how it starts to fall apart, how these disasters both big and small befell these women and how they're going to find a way forward... The book is great, so much fun and substantial.”―Liberty Hardy, BookRiot

"You’ll have a hard time separating yourself from this novel."–Kathryne Cardwell Winnipeg Free Press

“[A] sharply written exploration of feminism in the digital age.” –Conde Nast Traveler

"The best fiction illuminates life's realities, and Stuart Nadler spotlights the fact that we all skate on a very thin edge between joy and sorrow, respectability and shame, life and death."-Martha Sherdian, The Dallas Morning News

"Sharply drawn, amusingly observed, Nadler's three generations of women make for a richly entertaining novel."-Shelf Awareness

“Stuart Nadler’s female protagonists are so fully formed and relatable that readers may be surprised to realize the author is male. The Inseparables braids the stories of these generations, creating an emotional landscape that draws the reader into each character’s world.” –Bookpage

“The Inseparables is a funny, moving look at family and secrets in the digital age."–The Sound

"Stuart Nadler is an incredible writer—insanely smart and funny, confident and compassionate—and THE INSEPARABLES is a deeply moving and morally complex novel that pulls off the high-wire act of being both a brilliant examination of the relationship between art and privacy, and a flat-out page-turner. Nadler writes with all the wit of Bellow and the psychological depth of Ozick. An extraordinary new novel by a writer with endless talent.” –Molly Antopol, author of The UnAmericans

"THE INSEPARABLES is a mature, sophisticated, self-assured, deeply entertaining piece of fiction. As I read it I couldn't stop saying to myself: Now this is exactly how a book should work." –Jami Attenberg, author of The Middlesteins and Saint Mazie

“THE INSEPARABLES reminded me of vintage Michael Chabon in all the right ways: keenly observed, raucously funny, and poignantly painful. The masterful prose sparkles and shines. But what makes The Inseparables so damn good are the perfectly realized characters, all popping off the page in 3-D. A great, great book.” –Nickolas Butler, author of Shotgun Lovesongs and Beneath the Bonfire

"Stuart Nadler's savage wit and incendiary insights mix in this brilliant, funny and deeply moving novel to give us a glimpse into the generational moment we're all living in. This is a novel about how our culture treats sex, and the lives--and rights--of women of any age.” –Alexander Chee, author of TheQueen of the Night and Edinburgh

"At turns funny, thoughtful, and heart wrenching, THE INSEPARABLES is a deeply satisfying saga of mothers and daughters, sure to be a hit with book clubs. Stuart Nadler writes with clear-eyed confidence, keen insight, and great empathy for his characters." –Jonathan Evison, author of The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving and West of Here

“THE INSEPARABLES accomplishes the rare feat of being both timely—this is an incisive commentary on our culture in the digital age—and completely timeless. Stuart Nadler is sharply attuned to the ironies of life and his novel is insightful, funny, and deeply moving. The Inseparables is a profound story, not just about the Olyphant women, but about America. This is proof that Nadler is one of the great novelists of our generation.” –Elliott Holt, author of You Are One of Them

"I love stories about the honest (and difficult!) messiness of life and Stuart Nadler’s THE INSEPARABLES is just that—it’s a big, bold, bubbling novel, and I was hooked from page one.” –Hannah Pittard, author of Listen to Me

"It's a testament to Stuart Nadler's powers of empathy that I identified with all three generations of women in this witty and wise tale of female trouble and family mayhem." –Lucinda Rosenfeld, author of I’m So Happy for You and The Pretty One

Stuart Nadler is a perceptive, sharp, and hilarious writer, working at the top of his game. Fans of Meg Wolitzer and Tom Perrotta will go crazy for this book, which is smart and funny in equal measure. –Emma Straub, author of The Vacationers and Modern Lovers

"THE INSEPARABLES is funny and sad and so wise about so many things—sex in the modern age, feminism, food, ambition, animals, marriage, mothers and daughters. Fathers and daughters too, for that matter. Weeks after finishing this gorgeous novel, I'm still thinking about the wonderful Olyphant women in all their complexity.” –J. Courtney Sullivan, author of Maine and The Engagements

“The sharp and immersive THE INSEPARABLES draws us deep into the lives of three devastated, indelible women—and masterfully illuminates how disaster can reveal new dimensions in the self. This is Stuart Nadler’s finest work of fiction yet. From the first sentence to the last, the book inhaled my imagination like a bold and furious storm.” –Laura van den Berg, author of The Isle of Youth, and Find Me